1月13日号：Sentence adverbs

Adverbs are words that can be used to modify other words like verbs, adjectives and adverbs. For example:

◆ Verb: He speaks quickly.

◆ Adjective: It is really big.

◆ Adverb: He sang very quietly.

Another use of adverbs is to modify sentences. These are called "sentence adverbs" and today we will take a look at some ways we can use sentence adverbs in our conversations and writing.

Sentence adverbs often come at the beginning of a sentence. They are often used to show the attitude, mood or feelings of the speaker. For example:

◆ Unfortunately, I can’t come to your birthday party. (= I feel it is unfortunate that I can’t go.)

◆ Sadly, we didn’t make it to the top of Mount Fuji. (= I feel it is sad that we didn’t make it.)

◆ Obviously, we need to do more research on this topic. (= I feel it is obvious that we need to do more research.)

It is also possible to put sentence adverbs at the end of a sentence or even in the middle of a sentence. For example:

◆ I was stuck in heavy traffic, but fortunately, I made it to the airport in time.

◆ My father’s surgery, happily, was very successful and he is doing well.

◆ I’m too tired to go out, frankly.

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英会話イーオン東京本社教務課コーディネーター。イーオン教師のトレーニングや英語セミナーを企画制作するカリスマ教師として活躍中。カリフォルニア大学バークレー校卒業。趣味は読書、料理、クラフトワーク。